Horse
Breed Description:
The Florida Cracker breed of horse is a very rare gaited horse from the southeastern United States. It is well-suited for ranch work and endurance and trail riding, as well as for team penning and roping. Florida Crackers are quick and agile with strong herding abilities, and are well known for their "cow sense." They are smallish horses, with a straight or slightly convex profile, well-set and lively eyes, and defined necks. The back of the Florida Cracker breed of horse is narrow but strong. The horse can be found in all colors, but is most frequently bay, brown, black, or gray. The Florida Cracker breed of horse is gaited: the flatfoot walk, running walk, trot, and ambling (Paso-type) gait. All of the gaits are reputed to be comfortable and easy for both horse and rider.
Temperament:
The Florida Cracker breed of horse has a spirited but even temperament, and is readily trained.
Height:
The Florida Cracker breed of horse stands 13.2 to 15 hands high.
Weight:
The Florida Cracker breed of horse weights 750 to 1,100 pounds.
Health Problems:
The Florida Cracker breed of horse has no known breed-specific health problems.
Exercise:
The Florida Cracker breed of horse is energetic and hard-working.
Grooming:
The Florida Cracker breed of horse requires regular grooming, which means cleaning its coat, combing out its mane and tail, picking out its hooves, and keeping its dock, eyes, muzzle, and nostrils clean with damp sponges. A hard-working, stabled Florida Cracker may require a thorough grooming each day, while one kept in the pasture may require only a light going over with a dandy brush.
Origin:
The Florida Cracker breed of horse, like the cattle breed of the same name, traces its ancestry to the early Spanish expeditions to Florida in the 1500s. Florida Crackers are derived from the Iberian horse of early sixteenth century Spain, and also include blood from the Garranto, the Barb, the Jennet, and Sorraia ponies.
Florida cattle drovers were nicknamed "Crackers" because of the sound of their cow whips cracking the air. This name was also given to both the cattle they drove and the small agile horses they rode. The Florida Cracker breed of horse was the predominant type in the southeastern United States through the 1920s. However, Florida Crackers suffered badly during the Dust Bowl years, when the U.S. government encouraged the movement of cattle from the Dust Bowl into Florida. With the larger Western cattle came the screwworm; which in turn led to changes in how cattle were raised. Before the screwworm, cowmen used their horses to herd and drive the free-roaming Scrub and Cracker cattle; with the arrival of the screwworm came fencing and dipping vats -- and the need to rope cattle and hold them for treatment. As a result, ranchers turned away from the smaller Florida Cracker breed of horse in favor of larger, stronger Quarter Horse, and Florida Crackers became quite rare.
Since 1990, however, interested owners, a breed registry and association, and the state of Florida have combined forces to bring the Florida Cracker breed of horse back from the brink of extinction.
